Gregor Scholl, rarity and renowned owner of Rum Trader, sets new standards for the Berlin bar scene with his newest addition to the family, Le Croco Bleu. Situated right next to Tim Raue's masterstroke La Soupe Populaire, Scholl created a kingdom of curiosities in the machine room of the former Bötzow brewery. And I'm not talking about the interior here. Even though that alone makes for a worthy trade with a visit at the Museum of Natural History.

Alongside barman Michael Hanke he embarked on a journey through Europe to search for and collect true Gin gems, whose stories could fill volumes. They now offer between 30 and 40 different kinds, among which you'll even find original bottles from the 1950s that will incite your fascination with their labels alone. The Gin tasting at Le Croco Bleu resembled a high end wine tasting and made us swoon over the unforeseen flavors in an instant.

Not less impressive is the unique range of cocktails that Scholl and Hanke have created. Starting at the staging through to the original recipes, we were filled with nothing but lavish praise for the makers and kept observing with incredulous fascination as each drink was prepared. The real highlight is a drink topped with absinthe cotton candy. Truly intoxicating!